The present invention relates to a no-spill cup assembly with an improved valve mechanism to prevent liquid from flowing out of the cup when not desired.
No-spill cup assemblies are well known in the art. In the past, a variety of such assemblies have been developed and marketed. In general, the goal of a no-spill cup is to provide a construction which minimizes or prevents liquid from emerging out of the cup when liquid flow is not desired, i.e. when the user is not drinking. However, though the assemblies of the prior art are intended to avoid such accidents, their construction is such that they generally do not provide a secure enough protection against undesirable spilling or leakage. Thus, when such cups are inverted, or more significantly, when they are shaken vigorously, liquid will often emerge from them. This can be a particular problem with young children, for whom these cups are usually intended. Accordingly, there is a need in the art for an improved cup assembly for preventing undesired spilling of liquids.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved no-spill cup assembly.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a cup assembly which prevents liquid from flowing out of the cup when the user is not drinking.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a cup assembly which minimizes and/or eliminates accidental or undesirable liquid flow or spillage out of the cup.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a cup assembly which provides the ability to regulate the flow rate of liquid out of the cup.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a cup assembly which can be used by young children, to avoid accidental spilling of liquid therefrom.
Further objects of the invention will become apparent in conjunction with the disclosure herein.
In accordance with the invention, an improved cup construction and valve assembly is provided which provides an extremely secure seal against accidental liquid flow from the cup spout. Further to the invention, a user places his or her mouth against the spout of the cup assembly to suck liquid out of the cup when desired. The act of sucking at the spout of the cup creates negative pressure or a partial vacuum against a valve in the cup spout, causing the valve to begin to invert, or turn inside out, thereby unblocking an opening such as an orifice or slit in the valve. In the preferred embodiment, the application of negative pressure to the top of the valve causes an opening in a portion of the valve to move up off of the base of a protruding member extending through that opening. Once the opening is unblocked, liquid can flow freely through the valve and spout.
In contrast, when not in use, the valve sits in a resting, closed position, with the opening pressed against the center seal-off, thereby sealing off the opening, slit or orifice in the valve assembly. Thus, in its relaxed state, with no negative pressure applied, the valve sits in a closed position with the fluid opening sealed by the center seal-off. In the preferred embodiment, the protruding member extends through the opening in a male to female relationship such that the orifice sits tightly on the protruding member against the protruding member""s bottom portion and the center seal-off or sealing member""s base.
In one embodiment, a dual valve device is provided having an adjacent valve which similarly seals when no negative pressure is applied, thereby blocking off the air vents in the cover of the cup, and further preventing the possibility of fluid flow.
In each of the embodiments of the invention, the closed valve position provides an extremely secure seal against fluid leakage, such that inadvertent spills or even deliberate attempts to force liquid outside of the cup, such as by turning the cup upside down, or shaking the cup, are ineffective.
In a further embodiment of the invention, the cup assembly allows liquid flow to be regulated between regular or maximum flow and minimal flow levels or rates by rotating the position of a valve assembly in the cap or cover of the cup. The valve holder is constructed as a two subunit assembly, with one subassembly holding a valve with a larger slit or orifice for fluid flow than the valve in the second subunit. Thus, upon rotation of the valve holder, either a low-flow valve or a higher flow valve can be positioned in the hole leading to the spout. In this manner, a dual position valve assembly is provided allowing either regular flow or minimal liquid flow conditions.